Featured weekend football games

October 31, 1997|By Pat O'Malley

No. 2 Annapolis (8-0, 5-0) at Old Mill (6-2, 4-1)

When: Tonight, 7: 30 p.m.

Outlook: Here it is, the "game of the year" on Halloween with playoff berths at stake. Annapolis can clinch a playoff berth, but an Old Mill loss followed by a win over Glen Burnie would leave the Patriots out of postseason at 7-3. The last time Old Mill was in such a big game was 1991 Coach Roy Brown (58-33) is in his ninth season as Annapolis coach and is 5-3 against Old Mill, which won last year, 10-6. Both teams boast big, experienced lines (Annapolis averages 250 pounds a man, Old Mill, 240) and outstanding running backs. Albert Creek leads Annapolis with 898 yards (second best in county) and six touchdowns rushing. Toney Twitty paces Old Mill with 712 yards and 11 touchdowns. Not far behind Twitty is Everett Anderson with 600 yards and six touchdowns. Panthers QB Peter Ludlam (31-for-61, 619 yards) leads the county in touchdown passes (13); the Pats' Craig Hall has passed for 619 yards and seven touchdowns. Two players give Annapolis the edge: big-play men Donnell Foote and S.J. Womack, who combined have 12 touchdowns and have accounted for more than 100 points.

Southern (5-3, 1-0) at No. 11 Broadneck (7-1, 2-0)

When: Tonight, 7 p.m.

Outlook: The host Bruins can clinch the county Class 2A-3A title and move a step closer to their first playoff berth. Southern, which has won the last two games in this series, has had defensive problems, giving up 21.3 points a game. The Bruins, on the other hand, are the county's highest scoring team (36.2 points a game).

No. 14 McDonogh (7-1, 6-0) at Archbishop Spalding (6-2, 4-1)

When: Tonight, 7: 30 p.m.

Outlook: Spalding can set a school record for victories and move into a first-place tie with the Eagles and John Carroll in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference. The

Cavs clinched their second winning season in 14 years last week.

Meade (4-4, 4-1) at Glen Burnie (1-7, 0-5)

When: Tonight, 7 p.m.

Outlook: On pace to break Gary Thall's 33-year-old record for season rushing yards (1,835) set at Severna Park, Meade's Tanardo Sharps could set all sorts of records tonight. Sharps, who has run for 1,433 yards and scored 16 touchdowns (both county-leading totals), goes against a Gopher defense giving up a county Class 4A-worse 32.3 points a game. With five straight 200-yard games, Sharps is two touchdowns from the school career record (37) set by Kenny Walker (1990-93) and 187 yards from the school/county career rushing record (3,360), also set by Walker.

Arundel (4-4, 3-2) at Chesapeake (4-4, 3-3)

When: Tonight, 7: 30 p.m.

Outlook: Hit or be hit in Lake Shore. Host Chesapeake is giving up 14.8 points a game, but has a shot at its first winning season Tom Kraning (32-66,.326). Arundel, yielding 16 points a game, hopes to avoid its first losing season since 1992. Arundel junior defensive linemen Mike Parker and Jeff Blachley take down anything that moves. Parker sacked Severna Park QB Greg Korwek five times in last week's 35-15 romp.

North County (2-6, 1-5) at Severna Park (3-5, 1-4)

When: Tonight, 7: 30 p.m.

Outlook: This looked like a late-season marquee game back in August but has been reduced to playing for pride. Host Falcons QB Greg Korwek (1,188 passing, 330 yards rushing) can't do it all. He needs some help from his injury-plagued teammates if the Falcons are to post their first win in seven tries against North County, not counting last year's forfeit win.

Northeast (0-8, 0-2) at South River (3-5, 0-1)

When: Tonight, 7 p.m.

Outlook: The visiting Eagles, who have been outscored 320-56, can't wait for the season to end. South River's Dave Summey (89-100-1) became the county's fourth coach to lose 100 games in last week's 31-6 loss to No. 11 Broadneck. Now his Seahawks hope to give him career win No. 90 in Edgewater and put him on the way to becoming the county's sixth coach to win 100. Senior running back John Adams is averaging 7.3 yards per carry for the Hawks.

Boys' Latin (3-5, 2-4) at Severn (4-4, 3-2)

When: Tomorrow, 2 p.m.

Outlook: The host Admirals can avoid their first losing season since 1993 with a victory over the Lakers, who have taken the last two MIAA B conference meetings. Record-setting running QB Dennard Melton starts the game with 3,222 career rushing yards, just two behind third-place Troy Turner of Arundel (1983-85). Melton's 64 career touchdowns rank second in state history behind Charlotte Hall's Herschel McLeod (1959-62), who scored 80.

No. 3 Gilman (5-2, 2-1) at St. Mary's (4-4, 0-2)

When: Tomorrow, 2 p.m.

Outlook: It's get-even time for the visiting Greyhounds, who dropped a 30-12 decision to the Saints in the MIAA A Conference last season. St. Mary's is picking up the pieces from last week's embarrassing 48-7 loss to No. 13 Mount St. Joseph (5-3, 1-2).